Ambala: Former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Friday urged the government to handle the situation at the historic Gurudwara Panjokhra Sahib in Ambala with impartiality and sensitive manner. He stated that this is a sensitive matter which should be resolved through mutual dialogue, restraint, and goodwill, rather than through the use of police force, lathi-charges, or legal cases. Hooda remarked that this government often fails to act with promptness and seriousness, instead allowing law-and-order issues to take on caste or communal overtones. He alleged that the confrontation at the Gurudwara was deliberately allowed to drag on, and the government took unilateral action without grasping the gravity of the situation.
“Many members of the Sikh Sangat (congregation) and police personnel were injured during the protests, and reports of damage to vehicles also emerged. However, instead of escalating this conflict further, the BJP government should now withdraw the cases registered against the Sikh Sangat, members of the Haryana Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee, and farmers,” he stated.
Regarding the tragic incident where a person was crushed under a vehicle, the administration failed to take legal action against the vehicle’s occupant and the driver at the time. “Instead of engaging in a detailed, face-to-face dialogue with the protesters, force was used against them. Consequently, the issue continued to escalate, creating a tense atmosphere stretching from Haryana to Punjab,” he added.
Hooda noted that the Congress party had established a separate Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee for Haryana to prevent conflicts within Gurudwaras and to restore trust among the Sikh Sangat. This move had resolved various disputes and put an end to incidents of confrontation within the Gurudwaras.
